How to Relight a Gas Water Heater

[markmark]

the pilot lights up and stays lit, but, when the water comes up to temp. and the thermostat shuts off the gas, the pilot light goes out, and has to be re-lit.

[n_flames]

What is the brand,model#,serial#, Water Heater Gas Control Valve brand,model#& serial# There have been some recalls on GAS CONTROL VALVES. Ck.filter screen at Gas Control Valve inlet behind nipple,apply thread sealer on nipple before reinstalling it.

[markmark]

Its just the pilot light that goes out. And only in hot weather. You can relight the pilot light, and it will stay lit, and light up the main burner, but when it comes up to temp. and the thermostat shuts off the main burner, it blows out the pilot light.ao6joo1101
A O Smith. Pro Max
model #- gvr 40 100
s/n ao6joo1101
I don't have the gas valve model and s/n.
Thanks.

[n_flames]

I forgot to ask what year your W/H was manufactured.You also need to run a ck.on your W/H Gas Control Valve to see if it has a recall.Most recalls are voluntary !!
Your W/H may have a over temp switch.
The burner comes on to heat the water. After 10-30 minutes the burner chamber over heats and trips the reset. Most people believe the pilot is going off when the thermostat cycles off but is really going off on hi-limit. When your burner chamber over heats the small white switch will open and shut off your pilot. You have to push the button in the middle of the switch to reset it before your pilot can be re-relight. The burner chamber will over heat if your venting gets blocked or if the intake screen on the bottom is more than 40-50% blocked.
You can look at the upper right corner of your burner door where the reset is and see if there is any discoloration in the metal. This will also but not always show signs of overheating. 99.9% of the time it is a dirty intake screen. The screen has slots the width of a razor blade so it will plug very easy. The best way to clean the screen is to remove the burner door assy. and look inside the burner chamber. Your screen will run front to back along the left side of the heater. Take a tooth brush and clean the screen trying to poke the bristles through the slots. After cleaning the whole screen take a damp paper towel and wipe the screen then brush it once again. A simple feather duster can be used to clean the bottom of the heater and to maintain the screen every 3 months of more depending on how clean the environment is. Just move the duster back and forth while tilting it upward to clean the bottom.
When your done & relight you should here the roar of the burner flame. A blocked intake screen muffles the burner sound.

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